India & Maldives agree to deepen defence-security ties

After defence minister Rajnath Singh handed over a fast patrol vessel and a landing craft to the Maldives on Tuesday, he and his counterpart Mariya Didi on Wednesday also jointly laid the foundation stone for the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Ekatha harbour. The development of the coast guard harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru is one of the biggest grant-in-aid projects of India.